Leave That Click in my Head
by I am 'Iron Man' man
Summary: Isabella Stark has spent the last year keeping her group alive. Heading into Georgia, the group comes across a prison with survivors living there, and find themselves involved in a war against a man called The Governor. Surviving that, along with the constant mobs of corpses, seems challenging enough, but then Isabella meets Merle Dixon.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Hello! This is my first time publishing anything on FF.N, and my first time writing anything involving The Walking Dead. Here's hoping it goes well!**

 **This is going to be a Merle Dixon/OC story.**

 **I don't own The Walking Dead or anything recognizable, I just own all of the OC's.**

 **Feel free to review if you like, I'd love to hear what you think!**

* * *

 _Slam!_

I flinch at the sound, glancing around frantically, waiting for the corpses to show up, drawn by the sound. I'm not disappointed, it only takes a few seconds for the staggering figures to start appearing. I grit my teeth and glance over at Deucalion, who is leaning against the tire of the truck we found, coughing. The noise that drew the corpses must have been Duke falling against the truck. I sigh and hurry over to him. As I reach his side, he glances up and sees the bodies behind me. He grimaces and struggles to stand. I wrap a hand around his bicep, steadying him.

"Fucking hell." He mutters. I chuckle and lead him around the truck and over to the passenger side.

"I concur. Get inside, get her started." I instruct the sick man. He frowns at me.

"And what will you be doing?" He asks. I roll my eyes.

"Gonna run inside and grab the last couple of bags. Be back in a moment." I answer, and before he can say anything, I turn and jog towards the small cabin that he and I found and decided to ransack. Surprisingly enough, it had been full of canned foods, packages of bottled water, and tools and weapons. No one had touched the place, so we grabbed everything we could get our hands on. Halfway through loading the truck though, Duke started coughing and began to pale and sweat, and he started having trouble lifting some of the bags. I have no idea what's wrong with him, but I'll figure it out when we're away from the corpses outside.

I quickly run inside and scoop up the last three bags full of various tools and weapons. I grunt at the weight of it all, and begin to regret loading the food first. I lumber over to the door slowly, wanting to avoid falling. Taking a deep breath, I yank the door of the cabin open, and bolt towards the truck. I toss the bags into the bed of the truck and turn around. I come face to face with a corpse, and breath in the smell of rotting flesh. I gasp and stumble backwards, falling against the truck. The corpse lurches forward, but before I get trapped, I throw myself to the side. I scramble up off of the ground and yank a dagger out of the holster wrapped around my shoulders. I dart forward and plunge my blade into the skull of the corpse, and then yank it out and do the same thing over and over to each corpse that comes close enough.

Eventually I edge my way to the driver side of the truck, and I quickly climb in. I shut the door, and right away the corpses fall against it, clawing and scratching. I turn away from them and find Duke watching me, shirtless under his jacket and holding a bundle of cloth against his mouth. I frown and forget the monsters outside for a moment.

"Duke, what's wrong?" I ask, and he looks down and slowly pulls his shirt away. I see that it's stained red, and so are his lips.

"Shit." Is the only thing I think to say. He laughs humorlessly.

"I don't know what's going on. I just started coughing all of a sudden, and it wouldn't stop, and then while you were out there, blood started coming up." He says weakly. I reach over and squeeze his hand, and he looks up.

"We'll figure this out, Duke." I tell him. He yanks his hand away and scoffs.

"Don't lie just to make me feel better, Isabella. Just don't." He growls coldly. I roll my eyes.

"Shut up, Duke." I say just as coldly. He pauses, and I shake my head.

"I didn't say that everything would be okay, or that it was nothing serious. We _will_ figure out what's going on with you. But right now, we need to get out of here. Just sit tight, and tell me if it gets worse." I tell him seriously. Duke nods, and I reach down and grab a water bottle. I hand it to him, and then I glance out the windows. The corpses are still trying to get to us, and then have the cab of the truck surrounded. The back is clear though, so I put the truck in gear and quickly reverse. When I'm clear of the mob of bodies, I switch gears and hightail it away from the cabin.

I turn on the A/C when I see that Duke is still sweating, and it seems to help a little. Eventually, he falls asleep, and I let him, hoping it'll help with whatever's wrong with him. I reach over and press a hand to Duke's forehead, and hiss and how hot to the touch he is. I turn the A/C up and pull a blanket over myself, and then I drive a little faster.

* * *

A few hours later, it's getting dark, and I know that driving through the woods in the dark is a bad idea, so a few hundred miles away from our camp, I find a small town that our group has already searched. I pull up to a house that I've stayed in before and I turn off the truck. I make sure I have all four daggers in my shoulder holster, and then I reach into the backseat and grab my sword. I buckle it around my waist, grab Duke's shotgun, and then climb out of the truck. I shoulder the gun and glance around, making sure there's no one around. There are corpses in sight, but they're a ways away, and aren't paying any attention to us. I know Duke's gonna be pissed if he wakes up, but he's in no shape to help me clear the house, and he needs all the rest he can get.

I walk quickly over to the front door of the house, and after pulling the door open, I slam my knuckles against the door frame. I wait a minute, and when no corpses come forward, I hold the shotgun out in front of me and enter the house. I quickly walk though each room in the small one story house, making sure there's no one here, living or dead. When I'm done, I head back outside and take my time unloading all of the bags from the trunk into the house. Then, finally, I open the truck door quickly, pointing the gun inside. Duke is still, and he didn't react to the noise, so he isn't a corpse. Not yet, anyways. I lean into the cab and shake Duke awake. He starts coughing right away, and I grab his shirt and catch the blood coming up. It takes him a long moment to get his bearings.

"'sabella? Wha's goin' on?" He slurs sleepily.

"We're stopping for the night. C'mon, we just have to get you inside, and then you can go back to sleep." I answer. He groans and slowly slides out of the truck. He loses his balance as he gets out, and I catch him around the waist and struggle to hold him up. I sling one of his arms around my shoulders, and then we slowly make our way into the house.

I lead Duke into the bedroom of the house and get him into the bed and then I have him kick off his boots and peel off his jacket. He eventually finds the energy to crawl under the covers, and when I'm sure that he's asleep, I walk over to where I placed the bags we packed in case we couldn't make it back to camp tonight. I pull out a couple of extra blankets and cover the windows with them, and then I grab the shotgun again and head to the front room, ready for a long night of keeping watch.

Keeping watch is never interesting until it's dangerous, so naturally, when all is quiet, my mind wanders. I think about Duke, and what could be causing his sickness. He was with me the entire day, so I highly doubt he got bitten. It seems too serious to be a cold, so maybe it's pneumonia or something like that.

I wonder if anybody at the camp is sick, if Duke's brother or his girlfriend are. I hope that my own family is okay, and the rest of my unit.

Every hour or so, I head into the bedroom and check Duke's pulse and temperature. His pulse is strong and steady, but his temperature is still high. I find a kitchen towel and soak it in cold water, and I place it on Duke's forehead after pulling off all the covers but one. When I check on him later, as the sun is rising, he seems to have settled a bit more. I shake him awake again.

"Duke, wake up. Deucalion!" I call out, waiting until he answers with a low grunt. I sigh and grab his arms, pulling him up into a sitting position. I grab a water bottle and open it, and then I tip his head back and slowly help him drink. After the first couple of sips, he drinks more, so I let him finish the bottle. When he's done, I get him to eat a few crackers and then let him sleep.

I spend the day inside, not wanting to leave Duke while he's out of it. I waste time by polishing my sword and daggers, and cleaning the guns Duke brought. When I run out of weapons to distract myself with, I find an empty room and work out, trying to get rid of some pent up energy. I take it slower than I need to, but still, I find myself with free time. I stay on my feet, not wanting to risk getting comfortable and falling asleep. I end up pacing around the small house, practicing drill techniques even though my days in the Army, and the Army itself, are long gone. I remember the day I became aware of the outbreak.

It was in the early days of it, when no one was really very worried about humans suddenly attacking and eating other humans. Everyone thought it was something that would be quickly and easily cured. The day I found out, my Commanding Officer gathered me and my unit and told us what was happening. He told us that various units were being stationed across the U.S., detaining, evacuating and quarantining people when necessary, but that our unit was being stationed in D.C., to escort and protect the scientists who were looking into the problem. I accepted the information my CO gave me, and asked the necessary questions. I was a proud soldier, a damn good one, and my rank and security clearance was high enough that any questions I had were answered honestly.

A couple of months into my new assignment, I was told that the outbreak was more serious than anyone thought. I broke protocol and called my younger brother, who still lived in Texas with the rest of my family. I didn't tell him anything he didn't already know, I just made sure he understood how dangerous this thing was. I should've gotten in trouble, but at that point, anyone who knew what was going on had already warned their families. A couple of months after that, shit had really hit the fan. Communication had already gone down, electricity was scarce, and stepping outside, you were more likely to come across a few dozen walking corpses than a single living person.

At that point, the head scientist pulled files, and he sent the people with families through the door. Of course, he gave every soldier a choice, but the majority of the soldiers with no family decided to stay and keep looking for an answer, a cure. As for me, the second he called my name for release, I was packing my bags and speeding all the way to Texas. The rest of my 6 person unit had families as well, so we said our goodbyes in D.C.

It took me just over a week to reach the city I grew up in, because the main roads were filled with empty cars, and the back roads were narrow and occasionally dangerous. When I made it home, I headed to my grandparents house, figuring that any time my family got together, that's where we did, so that's where they'd be. I was right, but I wasn't prepared for what I would find.

When I got to the house, I knocked, and got a gun in my face as the answer. It was my Uncle Mason, making sure I wasn't some stranger trying to ransack the place. When he saw that it was me, he let me in, and then he disappeared without a word. I thought that was strange, but then so was my uncle. I found my brother, Eric, in the kitchen, sitting with our two cousins. When he saw me, he jumped out of his seat and threw his arms around me. I'd never been happier to see anyone in my life, and I didn't let go of him for a while. When we finally sat down with our cousins, I knew something was wrong. I asked where everyone else was, and I was informed that what I saw was what I got.

My mom had been killed trying to go back to the apartment that her and my brother lived in to get some of her things. She didn't take a weapon, she went alone, and she went at night.

My Aunt Joanna had been killed while working a shift at the hospital as an RN. At the time, people thought that if they got the corpses to the hospital, something could be done.

Her husband, my Uncle Kellan, had been killed while he was out getting more food. Not by corpses, but by people. It's people that are the real danger. I'll take corpses over people any day.

My grandparents had been killed months ago, near the start of it all. They were out shopping and they got attacked by a corpse before anyone really knew the danger.

All that was left of my family was my uncle, my cousins, and my brother. And I was just so grateful that at least the four of them had survived. We stayed there, in that house, for weeks. My uncle and I would take turns going out and getting food and supplies, and for a while, we were okay. But eventually, my uncle got cocky, and that cost him his life. We moved on after that.

We left the town we grew up in, and kept moving around. Eventually, we ran into James and Theo, two members of my old unit. Theo was with his girlfriend and her brother, and James was alone. We all decided to stick together, and that's the way the group started. A few months after that, James and I were out scavenging and we found Liam and William holed up in a cabin in the middle of nowhere. A couple of months later, we decided to check out one of the bases we'd been stationed at, and we found Tori there, with a girl named Samantha and a man named Ian. They were looking for Ian's brother, who was also Samantha's boyfriend. And that turned out to be Deucalion. I found him a couple of days after meeting Sam and Ian, bleeding and blacking out in a tree.

Samantha was young, only 19, while Ian was 36, and Duke was 43. A couple of members of our group thought that it was strange, that Sam was traveling with two men who were older than her, and dating one as well. But I didn't care. As long as it's consensual and they're happy, what they do is their business. Besides, one of the many things Sam and I have in common is preferring older men. Sue us. Sam is one of the youngest members of our group, but she definitely pulls her weight.

Meeting Sam, Ian and Duke happened about a year ago. Since then, our group has expanded. It now contains myself, my brother Eric, our cousins Chris and Jennifer, my old Army unit mates James, Theo, Tori, Liam and William, Theo's girlfriend Shay and her brother Ben, Sam, Ian and Duke, a girl named Natalie who Liam found by herself on the road, and a pair of twins, Joseph and Joshua. We don't ever stay in one place for very long. After trying a few times and eventually getting overrun every time, we've learned our lesson. Nowhere is safe anymore.

* * *

We remain in the safe house for another night, and the next morning, Duke looks a hell of a lot better. He's still pale and a little warm, but he's no longer coughing, and he can actually stay awake for longer than a few minutes. Duke and I rush outside and kill the few corpses lurking near the house and truck, and then we load the truck up with the bags from the cabin. We're quick about it, since we'd both like to get back to our families as soon as possible. I do a last sweep of the safe house, and then head out. The sound of the door shutting resonates in my head.

Duke offers to drive since I've been awake for two days, but I wave him off. He's still not well, and I'd rather he use the time to get some more sleep. When I tell him that, he laughs and says he can't possibly sleep any more, but it only takes him about half an hour to pass out. I drive as fast as I dare to, knowing that everyone at the camp will be worried sick. We shouldn't have even been gone a day, and instead we were gone two. The trip back only takes a couple of hours, and soon, I'm slowing down and parking the truck next to the rest of the camp's vehicles. One by one, everyone comes running, glad that Duke and I didn't get killed or turned. Eric finds me right away and gives me a tight hug, and then he smacks me on the back of the head.

"Do you two enjoy scaring the shit out of all of us? We thought you were dead." He admonishes. I sigh.

"Didn't mean to scare you. We're fine, Eric, calm down." I reply. He opens him mouth, to yell at me I'm sure, but James steps forward before Eric can say anything.

"What happened? You two look like shit." James notes. I roll my eyes.

"Well thanks for that. We got overrun at the cabin and took a different road to get out of there than before. By the time we reached the town a few hours away, it was already dark, so we stayed at the safe house." I answer. James raises an eyebrow, and I shake my head. I know he'll be questioning me later, but I don't have the energy to deal with that now.

The truck is unloaded and everything is counted, and then the food is put away in one of the bigger vehicles. The weapons are handed out between everyone, and then James grabs my arm and drags me away from everyone else.

"What aren't you telling? What happened?" He asks in a low voice. I sigh and rub my hands over my face, wishing I wasn't so exhausted.

"Duke got sick. It was bad for a while, but he's much better now. You should still get Theo to look him over, but I think he'll be fine." I answer. Our whole unit had medic training, but Theo was the actual medic, and his training has come in handy more times than I can count. James frowns at me.

"And why do you look like you're about to drop?" He asks. I shrug.

"Duke was unconscious for most of the past couple of days. Someone had to keep watch." I reply. James shakes his head.

"Christ, Bella. There's no way you're taking the bike today. Load it up, or I'll take it, or something. You need to sleep." He orders me. I nod, too tired to argue.

"How long until we hit the road?" I ask.

"As soon as everyone's ready. That means you too." He says, squeezing my shoulder before striding away. I turn and head over to Joshua, who usually drives the truck Duke and I were using. He grins as I walk up.

"Hey Izzy. You look like death." He greets me. I laugh.

"I feel like it too." I reply. He chuckles.

"What's up?" He asks. I nod at the black and dark red motorcycle parked next to a dark red muscle car.

"Would you mind if I load up my bike in the bed? I need to catch up on two days of sleep, and James'll have my head if I ride my bike while exhausted." I explain. Josh nods.

"Go ahead Izzy. After all we can't lose our second in command to a motorcycle accident, we need you too much." He agrees. I roll my eyes.

"Kiss ass." I mutter, walking over to my bike.

I throw my leg over it and take a seat on the dark leather seat, and then I start it up and smile at the roar of the engine. Aside from Roxanne, my red 1969 Mustang Boss 429, this bike is my baby. I've had the bike since before the outbreak, and she's been good to me. I was lucky enough to find my favorite muscle car ever a few months ago, when we were passing through Louisiana. I drive the bike over to Joshua's truck, and then I turn it off and stand up. Josh and his brother Joseph load up the bike for me, and after thanking them and making sure she's secure for the drive, I walk over to where Eric is standing with Chris and Jennifer. Jen throws her arms around me when I'm close enough, and I chuckle and hug her back.

"How are you three? Anything happen while I was gone?" I ask her quietly, knowing the boys don't like me worrying about them. Jen shrugs.

"We're fine. Nothing exciting happened." She answers. I nod, and then we turn to our brothers. Chris gives me a quick smile, and I smile back. Eric still doesn't look happy with me, but I expected that.

"Are you guys ready to get going?" I ask. Chris nods, Eric rolls his eyes, and Jen laughs.

"We're always ready. After over a year of this shit, we're pretty good at it." She declares. I grin and nod.

"Can't argue with that. How are you guys riding?" I ask.

"I'm riding with Chris." Eric announces right away. I nod and look and Jen. She grins widely.

"Do I get to drive Roxanne!?" She asks excitedly. I chuckle and nod.

"Just be careful with my baby, alright?" I ask. She nods happily.

"I will, now let's go!" She exclaims, grabbing my hand and pulling me towards my car. I turn to look at the boys, and Chris my car. I turn to look at the boys, and Chris waves his hand.

"We'll be fine, Iz. Go get some sleep." He tells me before I can say anything. I nod, and then turn and climb into the passenger seat of my car.

"Well this is strange." I comment. Jen laughs, rubbing her hands across the steering wheel.

We sit in the car for a few minutes while everyone loads their cars and gets situated, and then James directs his huge, black truck to the right. I gesture forward.

"Go on. Roxanne always leads or flanks Black Beauty." I tell Jen. She scoffs as she drives forward, taking her place as second in the caravan.

"You two are so dumb." She says with a laugh. I smirk.

"But Roxanne! You don't have to put on the red light!" I belt out the lyrics to the song that is my cars namesake. Jen giggles and sings along.

"Those days are over, you don't have to sell your body to the night! Roxanne! You don't have to wear that dress tonight!" We belt out, laughing loudly afterwards.

"Get some rest Bella, I'll wake you if we stop or if anything happens." Jen says. I nod and reach into the backseat, pulling out two thick blankets. I pass one to Jen and pull the other one over my body, and then I lean back and allow my body to relax.

* * *

I jolt awake and sit up quickly, trying to figure out what's going on. I'm still in my Mustang, and Jen is still driving, following James.

"Bella? Isabella!" I hear Jen say, and I turn to look at her. She has her eyes on the road, but every few seconds, she shoots me a worried look. I try to smile, but it probably comes off as a grimace.

"Are you alright?" She asks. I nod and try to settle back down. I won't be getting back to sleep anytime soon.

"I'm fine. Sorry if I scared you." I apologize. Jen shakes her head.

"I don't give a shit about that. You were fine one minute, and the next, you were jolting forward like you were being attacked. What happened?" She asks. I shrug.

"I don't know. I just can't sleep very long." I reply. I glance out the window and see that it's still daylight.

"How long was I out?" I ask curiously.

"Four or five hours I think." She tells me. I nod.

"Honk twice, will you?" I request. She raises an eyebrow but does as I ask. James honks back, and then starts to slow down. When everyone's come to a stop, I open my door and jog over to meet James. He's standing by his truck with his hands on his hips.

"What's wrong?" He asks. I shake my head.

"Nothing. Just wanted to know where we're headed." I explain. He shrugs.

"Hadn't really picked anywhere specific. We're headed East right now, but where we go is up to you." He states. I nod and stay silent for a moment, thinking.

"We'll keep going east. There's nothing for us south except the water and the border, and I don't think we'll chance that. Winter is coming, so north would be a bad idea, since we're all used to southern heat. If going east doesn't work, we'll turn around and go west." I decide. James nods.

"East it is. You wanna take the lead?" He asks. I shrug.

"Alright." I agree. I head back to the Mustang and switch seats with Jen.

"Where are we going?" She asks curiously.

"For now, just east. We'll figure it out from there." I inform her as I pull ahead of James. Jen nods and curls up in her seat, deciding to take a nap. As we drive past the Welcome to Alabama sign, I settle in for days of driving.


	2. Chapter 2

Driving varies from person to person. Some hate it and find it monotonous, some are indifferent and simply find it necessary. I love it.

I love the feeling of being behind the wheel of a vehicle, especially a particularly fast or heavy duty one. If I had to give it a reason, I guess it would be because driving a car gives you a certain amount of control; where you're going, how you're going to get there, how fast, and so on. But it's also dangerous. Lots of things can go wrong when you're in a car. You can lose your life in the blink of an eye, you can take a life just as quickly, all due to the sheets of metal wrapped around a metal frame, made to look pretty or speedy or inconspicuous.

I've always had a problem concerning danger. It attracts me, it makes me curious. My brother has always hated that about me, that I'll dive head first into danger, knowingly, just for the rush of adrenaline. I've been an adrenaline junkie since I can remember. When I was a kid, my dad would take my brother and I to this huge waterpark every year we went to visit him, and even the biggest, most daunting rides weren't enough for me. My dad and stepmom would take turns going on the relaxing rides with Eric, while the one not with him would take me on the wilder rides. When my dad got a go kart, I was the one sitting shotgun while he sped around the streets and fields. I'd get on the biggest, scariest rollercoasters, stand up in the bed of a truck going 60 miles an hour, climb up to the roofs of schools, go to class drunk, walk off school grounds in broad daylight, stupid shit like that.

It's always been that way. Eric's always been the more practical one of the two of us. He's also got anxiety where driving is concerned. For a long time, when we were teenagers, Eric wouldn't get on the freeway or the highway. He hated it, something about the powerlessness of going that fast in a car that someone else was driving. But even when someone else was behind the wheel, I loved being in a car. Because of the danger, I guess. It feels less secure, going that fast and not being the one in control. Even the small amount of adrenaline produced by that was good enough for me.

Maybe that's the reason I enlisted. Being deployed in a warzone is always dangerous, which meant constant adrenaline. A constant source.

Eric's gotten better with his car anxiety, or whatever he calls it. And now, with what the world's become, he doesn't really have a choice. Nowhere is safe. Staying on the road is our best bet, and he knows that. Some days, he'll ask that we take it a little slower, or he'll take a few Xanax if we have them and just coast and try to ignore the fact that he's in a car. I've always been protective of Eric, especially when we were kids and he would get bullied. I got into more than my share of fist fights because some one said the wrong thing concerning my brother. I used to want him to be happy and safe, not depressed and anxious. Even after coming to understand that he was diagnosed with anxiety and depression and didn't have control over it, I did my best to counteract it. I always tried to make him smile and laugh, and to feel safe.

Now, I just try to keep him alive. Chris and Jennifer too. My priority, over anything else, is to make sure that those three survive. But they don't seem to understand that.

"We'll find another car soon, hopefully in the next town, and then everything will be fine." Chris says, and I sigh.

"I'd prefer that you three stay with me." I request, not looking at Jen sitting in the passenger seat next to me, or Eric and Chris in the backseat.

"Well it's not up to you. Chris and I are going to find another car, and if Jen wants to stay with you, fine. But she's welcome to come with us. She'll end up with us eventually. It's not like you ever stay very long." Eric counters. My hands tighten around the steering wheel, and I take a deep breath.

"Why are you so eager to separate? We _barely_ survived that group of pigs, and I don't see the problem with staying together for a while." I reply, trying to reason with my brother, and trying not to think too hard about the large group of men who ambushed our group the other day. They were dead set on killing all the men of our group and using the women. I shake my head, trying to clear it.

"Because we always separate. You always leave _just_ as we're getting comfortable. You're leaving again soon, aren't you? When?" Eric demands. I swallow hard.

"We need supplies, Eri-" I try, but Eric scoffs.

"Yeah, we always do. And it's always you, going to go get them. You'll go with Deucalion, or with Ian, or James or Tori, or whoever, but you never let anyone else go for you. You could, but you don't. You don't want to. You _like_ leaving, being away from the group. We all know that." Eric accuses. I can feel a muscle in my jaw tick, and I try and unclench it.

"I-" I begin, and again, Eric scoffs.

"Save your excuses. We've heard them all before." He spits. There are so many things I could say in response, but I keep my mouth shut. I'm tired of arguing with my brother. Before all this, he was my best friend. Now, I'm not sure that he doesn't hate me. But as long as he's alive, he can loathe me for all I care.

Silence fills the car, and I resolve to just keep my eyes on the road and to not open my mouth unless I have to. The four of us are sitting in my Mustang, and I guess it does make sense for the boys to find another car after losing theirs in the scramble to get away from danger. The backseat of my car is pretty cramped, and the boys are the tallest of the four of us. I just prefer to have them where I can see them after meeting that group of assholes.

Thankfully, none of our group was killed, we just lost two cars and a few bags of food. James's truck, which sits four, now contains him, Theo, Shay, Ben, and Natalie. Ian's car, which also sits four, contains him, Deucalion, Samantha, Liam, Tori, and William. Joshua's truck has just him and his brother, but it's also full to the brim with most of the groups weapons, and the little bit of food we have left. None of us are comfortable, so it only makes sense to find two cars as soon as possible so we can all have a bit of breathing room.

An hour or so after crossing the border from Alabama into Georgia, one of the trucks behind us honks twice, so I slow down and pull over. Everyone climbs out of their vehicles and starts stretching and pacing to return feeling to their legs. I walk over to James and Liam, and most of the rest of the group separates into guys and girls and heads away from the road to go use the bathroom in the woods.

"What's goin' on?" Liam asks, his slight Irish accent thicker with sleep. I shrug, and we turn to James.

"Shay and Nat had to use the bathroom, and I had to get out of that truck. We _need_ more vehicles. Being crammed together like this isn't working for anyone." He huffs. I sigh and nod.

"Damn straight. Everyone knows tha' Willy boy and I aren't meant to be in the same, enclosed space for long periods o' time." Liam complains. I chuckle, remembering the bickering those two do so often, and finding myself glad that I'm not sharing a car with them. James laughs and claps Liam on the shoulder.

"You'll live." He says, and Liam scoffs. James turns to me.

"Having fun in your car, with your brother?" He asks knowingly. I roll my eyes.

"Oh yeah, it's been a blast." I intone. James and Liam howl with laughter, and I slap the both of them on the back of the head, and then turn and stalk over to Josh's truck. I recheck that my bike is strapped down well, and then I look through the groups food.

"We have enough to last us another day or two." I hear Joseph say as he steps up next to me. I nod.

"Yeah. We'll have to go for a supply run today." I tell him what he already knows. He nods.

"Tell you what, lets you and I take the bike. We can't take any of the vehicles, the group'll need 'em in case they have to leave in a hurry. The two of us can ride ahead and find a town, there has to be somethin' of use. If we're lucky, we'll find another vehicle." I suggest. Joseph nods.

"Let's do it. I'll unload the bike with Josh. Go tell the others." He agrees. I turn and head back over to James and Liam.

"Joseph and I are gonna ride ahead and try to find some food, maybe another vehicle." I inform them. James nods, and Liam presses a hand to my elbow.

"Can ya look for bandages? We used the last on Will and Ben, and ah know that yer collarbone is only getting worse and not better." Liam says. I nod, but before I can leave, James stops me.

"Let me see the wound, Bella." He demands. I know he'll get his way eventually, so I quickly peel off my sweatshirt and then pull the collar of my t shirt to the side, revealing the gunshot wound I got a couple of weeks ago.

"It's not infected, but it's inflamed, and it hurts like a bitch when touched." I tell them. James reaches over to touch it, and I slap his hand away.

"Try again. I'll cut it off." I tell him. He chuckles and raises his hands in surrender.

"Alright. Go tell your brother you're leaving, and then get out o' here." Liam shoos me off. I sigh and head towards my Mustang, where Eric and Jen have just rejoined Chris. I pull my key out of my pocket and unlock the truck, and then I pull out the weapons I'll be taking. I shrug on my shoulder holster, which holds four long daggers, and two thigh holsters, which hold my twin Beretta M9A1s. I also belt on my favorite sword, a silver and black four foot longsword. Then I walk over and lean down and rest my arms against the passenger door, looking at Jen through the open window.

"You're leaving." She says, a statement, not a question. I dip my head and hand her the keys to my car. I can feel Eric glaring at me.

"Just gonna go up ahead on the bike with Joseph to see if we can find any food or vehicles. We should be back by nightfall." I explain. Jen nods.

"Okay. Be safe." She replies. I give her a quick smile.

"Likewise." I mumble, looking at her and the boys. Before they can reply, I rap my knuckles against the car door and then walk over Joseph, who is standing next to my bike. Josh hands us both small backpacks filled with a bit of food and ammo, and then two larger, empty backpacks. I put them on, wincing as one of the straps rests on my wound, and then I climb onto the bike. Joseph climbs on behind me and wraps an arm around my waist, and when I'm sure he's secure, I start up the engine and grin at the sound. I take off, heading down the highway at a speed that used to be illegal, when laws still mattered.

It takes us about an hour to reach the next town, and when I see the signs leading up to it, I drive the bike off of the road and into the tree line. I turn off the engine and walk the bike over to a tree. Joseph and I climb off, and them we both start covering the bike with leaves and brush, just in case. When that's done, we walk the last couple of miles to the town. When we reach the outskirts, we both pull out guns and stay low, watching for the living and for the dead. We advance slowly and quietly to the center of the small town, and so far, there are no signs of life. I nod for Joseph to keep his gun drawn, and then I holster mine and pull my sword out of it's sheath. Joseph points out a small combined grocery store and pharmacy, and together we approach it. The doors are the kind that slide open, but since there's no electricity, they remain closed until I slip my blade between them and jimmy them open.

We stay silent, listening for any sounds. I hear the quiet hissing and gurgling that only corpses make, and I gesture in that direction.

"Split?" I breath, and Joseph nods. I grip my sword hilt with both hands, and then stalk down the aisle in front of me. I turn to the left and come across a pair of corpses. A boy and a girl, they look like teenagers. I would guess that they thought to take shelter here, and it didn't work out. Quickly, before either of them get too close, I bring my sword up and around, beheading the both of them. I step over the bodies and keep moving.

By the time I meet back up with Joseph, I've killed 5 more corpses in addition to the teenagers.

"Clear?" Joseph asks quietly.

"Seems like it. But don't get too comfortable." I reply. He nods.

"Alright. Let's split up again. Anything worth grabbing, but food and meds first." He advises. I dip my head.

"Food and meds first." I agree, stepping away. Without the corpses, I have a chance to pay more attention to my surroundings. I find the couple of aisles meant for food, and it's no surprise that they've been mostly picked clean. I move around the trash and debris, and manage to find a couple of cans of fruit, bags of chips, a package of crackers, and an abundance of candy bars. I sigh and quickly shove it all into my backpack. When I'm done, I keep searching, and find an aisle for women's hygiene. I chuckle, knowing Joseph won't come near here, and start searching. I grab what I can, knowing the few girls in the group will appreciate it. I move on again, and head over to the aisles that house the pills. I toss bottles of aspirin, ibuprofen, vitamins, motrin, and caffeine into my backpack. I find Joseph behind the counter of the pharmacy, stuffing rolls of bandages into his bag.

"Found a bit of food and some meds. You?" I whisper.

"Some more meds, matches, rubbing alcohol." He replies. I sigh and nod.

"Well, that's all she wrote. Let's get out of here and try to find a car." I mutter. He agrees and hops the counter. As we approach the door, I pull out my sword again. We walk down the street, killing the corpses that notice us. We try every car we come across, and it's just our luck that none of them work. Near the other side of the small town, I find a grey Dodge Ram that looks almost brand new. I tell Joseph to keep an eye out, and I try one of the doors. It's unlocked, so I slip inside. The keys are missing, so I place my sword on the seat and sit down on the ground under the wheel. I work on hotwiring it, but I've only done it once, so it could take a while.

"Bella. Come here." Joseph calls out. I tense up, because he was being unnecessarily loud, and because of his tone. I quickly grab my sword off the seat and climb out of the truck. When I turn around, I find a crossbow aimed at my head. I hold my hands up in surrender, making sure that the blade of my sword is pointed at the ground.

"Woah. Easy." I say slowly, looking from the crossbow to the holder. The man looks like a redneck. He's covered in dirt and grime, but that's normal these days. He's wearing jeans that were probably blue once, and a flannel shirt with the sleeves cut off. Over that, he's wearing a black leather vest. Standing next to him is an Asian man, wearing a pale green long sleeve and jeans, and pointing a gun at Joseph.

"That's our truck." The redneck growls.

"Yeah? Well I don-" Joseph starts, but I kick at his leg and he shuts up. The redneck looks bored, and the Asian looks incredibly weary.

"I'm sorry, we didn't know." I tell them honestly. The Asian eyes me for a second before returning his gaze to Joseph.

"You alone?" The redneck questions. I hesitate, and then shake my head.

"No. We have each other, and you're here with us." I answer. I'm not trying to start shit by seeming sarcastic, but this way, I'm not exactly lying. The redneck scoffs, but the Asian sighs.

"We're not here to hurt you, if that's what you think." The Asian tells us. I don't trust him, but I dip my head.

"Likewise. We don' want any trouble. If you'll just allow us to leave, we'll stay gone." I reply, hoping that they don't ask for our backpacks, or try to kill us. The Asian cocks his head at me, and the redneck looks curious.

"How many walkers have you killed?" The Asian asks Joseph. He stays quiet until I nudge him with my foot.

"Walkers?" Joseph asks curiously.

"Those _things_." The Asian explains, nodding to a corpse down the street.

"Don't know. 70? 80? It's been a long year." Joseph says, and I know he's telling the truth. The Asian nods.

"How many people have you killed?" The Asian asks next. Joseph tenses, but answers before I touch him.

"Two." He replies honestly.

"Why?" The Asian asks, and Joseph sighs.

"Because it was us or them. I did what I had to." He says curtly, holstering his gun. The Asian does the same, and then the redneck moves his crossbow closer to me, and I return my attention to him.

"How many walkers?" The redneck asks gruffly.

"A few hundred, maybe two." I answer honestly. The Asian looks at Joseph, and he shrugs.

"Guns are loud and ammo is scarce. She's good with blades." He explains the difference between our numbers.

"People?" The redneck asks. I sigh and look at the ground.

"Maybe 50?" I estimate, and in a heartbeat, the Asians gun is out and pointed at me. Joseph's hand goes to his holster, but I shake my head and slowly slide my sword into it's sheath.

Aren't you gonna ask the last question?" I ask wearily.

"Why?" The redneck growls. I slowly raise my hands.

"I'm gonna pull out my necklace, alright?" I ask. The Asian nods, so I slowly reach under the collars of my sweatshirt and shirt and pull out my dog tags. I slip them over my head and then reach out and hand them to the redneck. He looks them over and then looks up at me with narrowed eyes.

"Stark, Isabella E, O-neg, no preference. You Air Force?" He asks. I scoff and shake my head.

"Army." I answer. He tilts his head.

"Still a lot of kills for a soldier." He remarks. I smile humorlessly.

"What can I say. I was sent to a few nasty places, and I did what I had to. I dabbled as a sniper and a medic, did time in the special forces, lead a unit. I was just doin' my job." I explain. The Asian nods while the redneck just studies me.

"You Army too?" The Asian asks Joseph. Joseph laughs and shakes his head.

"Nope. I was just a mechanic." He answers.

"Are you going to allow us to walk away?" I ask, growing tired of the chit chat. The Asian frowns at me, and the redneck looks curious again.

"If that's what you want. But we have a group, and we're staying somewhere safe. Would you be interested?" The Asian asks. Joseph and I look at each other, and then I look back at the two men in front of us.

"Can we talk about it for a minute?" I ask, and the Asian nods. As Joseph and I walk away, I head the redneck mutter 'what's there ta talk about'. Joseph and I stop a few dozen feet away, and Joseph looks at me seriously.

"What do you think?" He asks curiously.

"I think they're telling the truth. Those two don't seem like the kind of men that we usually deal with." I answer. He nods.

"I agree. But that doesn't mean we should the group to them." He argues. I nod.

"Of course not. But what if we take them to the group? It makes sense that they ask everyone those questions before they're offered a place. They'll want to ask everyone else too. And if they'd allow me in, they'd allow everyone else in." I say, knowing that I have the largest kill count of the group. Joseph frowns.

"So we take them back with us?" He asks. I shrug.

"Let's see what we can find out about their 'somewhere safe' first." I reply. Joseph agrees, and we walk back over to the men.

"So, you know my name, and this is Joseph." I introduce us properly. The Asian nods.

"I'm Glenn, and this is Daryl." The Asian, Glenn replies. I nod.

"Could you tell us about where you're staying?" I request. The redneck, Daryl, narrows his eyes, but the Asian nods.

"Sure, though we can't tell you where it is." He clarifies. I nod.

"Of course." I acknowledge.

"We're behind walls, we keep the place fortified, and there's always a watch. We started out with two handfuls of people where we're at now, but now there's dozens. We grow vegetables, we hunt for meat, we have running water. It's a good, safe place." Glenn explains. I nod.

"I assume you have a leader? Someone who runs things?" Joseph asks. Glenn pauses.

"We used to have one person. But he needed a break from it all. Now we have a council, and they sit down and make decisions for the good of everyone staying with us." Glenn answers. Joseph nods.

"Are you two members of that council?" He asks. Daryl looks cautious, but before they can answer, I put my hand on Joseph's shoulder.

"Don' answer that." I tell them. Daryl and Glenn both look curious. I shrug.

"I just don' want you to think that we're asking for no good reason. And nowadays, it pays to be cautious." I explain. Daryl narrows his eyes at me, but nods.

"Yeah it does. You gonna give us an answer any time soon?" He asks. I shrug.

"Would you be willing to come with us?" Joseph asks. Daryl scoffs and Glenn looks weary again, so I hasten to explain.

"We have a group. There's almost 20 of us, and I promise every one of them will answer your questions honestly. They're an hour down the highway, that way." I explain, pointing in the direction Joseph and I came from.

"How do we know yer group ain't gonna attack us?" Daryl asks.

"I guess you don't. But if Joseph rides with one of you in your truck, and one of you comes with me on my bike, our group couldn't attack you without hurting us too." I suggest.

"What's gonna happen if we show up with you guys?" Glenn asks. I shrug.

"Our group will assume that we ran into you here in town and that you're joining us. They probably won't be happy because we only have three vehicles as it is, and they're full, but they won't be upset. When we explain what you've told us, I expect half the group will be willing right away, and the other half will be a little suspicious. But that's to be expected, right?" I ask. Glenn nods, and looks at Daryl. Daryl finally nods as well.

"You alright to go on her bike?" I hear Glenn ask Daryl, and Daryl nods. Oh joy. I get to have a brooding redneck ride my bike with me. Well, at least he's cute. I turn to Joseph.

"Are we sure about this?" He asks quietly. I shrug.

"Not completely. But the whole group is tired of livin' on the road, and if there's even a chance of stayin' somewhere safe, even temporarily, we should take it. We're doin' the right thing." I reply. Joseph nods.

"Are we ready to go?" He asks. Glenn, Daryl and I agree.

"Where's yer bike?" Daryl asks.

"A couple of miles down the road, hidden in the woods." I answer. He nods.

"Glenn, we're riding with you till we reach her bike!" Daryl calls out. Glenn nods, and I quickly climb into the bed of the truck with Daryl while the other two slide into the cab. We head out, and Daryl and I don't say a word to each other on the way. When we near the place where I hid my bike, I rap my knuckles loudly on the window of the cab. Glenn pulls over, and I leap over the side of the truck bed and land silently on the asphalt.

"Jesus, she didn't even make a sound." I hear Glenn say. Joseph laughs.

"Yeah, her and her unit are like that. Way I understand it, whatever it was her unit did, the rest of the Army would say 'they're the best at what they do, and what they do best isn't very nice.'" I hear Joseph tell Glenn, and Daryl, who's standing next to Glenn's open window.

"C'mon. Don' have all day." I tell them. Daryl follows as I head into the tree line. I find the bike and start brushing off all the leaves, and Daryl helps. When the bike is uncovered, I stand it upright, and then sit down and start it up. Daryl hesitates, and then finally climbs on behind me. He must be gripping his seat, because he doesn't grab me to steady himself. When I'm sure he's on, I take off, heading out of the tree line and past the truck, which starts to follow. It takes us an hour to reach the group, and when we near them, I feel Daryl grab my shoulder.

"Stay close. Don't trust ya yet." He tells me gruffly. I nod and I slow the bike to a stop, and we climb off together. I make sure to remain in front of Daryl, but not in his way of seeing the group. James jumps off of the hood of his truck, where he must have been keeping watch, and him, Liam and Ian make their way towards us. As they do, Glenn and Joseph climb out of the truck and join us.

"I'm just gonna tell them that there's no need for weapons, alright?" I ask Glenn and Daryl quietly, not wanting them to thing I'm giving them some kind of signal. Glenn nods, and I turn back to my group.

"All clear, boys. Just some guys we met in town. They have a proposal for us." I explain as the three guys come to a stop in front of us, and the rest of our group watches from the vehicles. All three of them know to trust me, so they nod and holster their weapons.

"What kind of proposal?" Ian asks.

"A safe place to stay. All we have to do is answer their three questions honestly. If they like what they hear, we'll talk. If not, we'll go our separate ways. Right?" I ask, looking at Daryl and Glenn. Daryl nods once.

"Alright. We'll come in groups, if that's alright with you." James says, nodding to Glenn and Daryl.

"That's fine. Are you three first?" Glenn asks. James nods.

"We are." He agrees.

"Okay. You first." Glenn says, pointing to Liam. Liam grins and steps forward.

"How many walkers have you killed?" Glenn asks. Liam shrugs.

"Oh, a hundred or so, I t'ink." He answers.

"How many people have you killed?" Glenn asks. Liam's smile fades and he looks at me. I nod at him.

"40, maybe 50." He answers.

"Why?" Glenn asks.

"Was in the Army, along wit' Isabella there." He answers, nodding towards me.

"Ya have proof?" Daryl asks. Liam nods and pulls out his tags. He tosses them to me, and I hand them to Daryl. He looks them over and then nods and hands them back. I toss them back to Liam, and Liam steps back. Daryl chooses Ian next.

"How many walkers have you killed?" He asks.

"Walkers? Interesting name. 50 or so." Ian answers.

"People?" Daryl asks.

Four." Ian answers.

"Why?" daryl moves on. Ian sighs.

"Because it's what they wanted." He answers. James is questioned next, and his answers are about the same as mine.

After that, Ian goes and gets Deucalion, Samantha, Joshua and Natalie to answer the questions.

Next, Eric, Chris, Jennifer and William come forward.

Then Theo, Shay, Ben and Tori are questioned last. When Glenn and Daryl are done, our group heads back to the cars, except for James, Liam and myself.

"Do we meet you approval?" I ask. Glenn looks at Daryl and then nods.

"We'll tell yer group about our place. But if ya go with us, ya have to pull yer own weight." Daryl warns. James nods.

"That's not a problem." He agrees. We lead Daryl and Glenn over to the rest of the group, and Glenn tells them what he told us. The group starts talking amongst themselves when they hear what's on the table.

"Go, talk to your people." Glenn says. I nod, and head for James, who is talking to the entire group.

"Do you trust them?" Chris asks, looking at me. I nod.

"Not completely, but I believe that they're bein' honest. We're a big group, and they know that the two of them would be overpowered if they tried to lead us into a trap. I know ya'll are tired of constantly travelin' and livin' on the road. If what they're sayin' is true, isn't that what you want? What you've been searchin' for?" I ask the group at large. They make noises of agreement, and James nods.

"If anyone is not okay with going, raise your hand." James requests. He waits a long moment, and no one's hand goes up. Maybe if our group was smaller, or if we had more supplies, people would argue. But we need this. I head back over to Glenn and Daryl.

They've all agreed." I inform them. Glenn nods.

"How quickly can your people be ready to move?" He asks. I chuckle.

"We're always ready. Just give em time to get in their cars." I reply. He nods, and I turn and head over to my Mustang, where my family is. Jen gives me a quick hug.

"Glad you're okay." She tells me. I smile at her.

"Glad you are too. Are you three ready?" I ask. Chris nods, and even Eric looks excited. I'm sure he'll just be happy to be sleeping somewhere other than a car for once, and to not be on the road.

"They'll be leadin' our group, but James'll be right behind them in his truck. I want you to stay behind him, alright?" I ask Chris, knowing he'll take over driving for his sister. He nods.

"Got it. Where will you be?" He asks.

I'm gonna bring up the rear on my bike." I answer.

"Okay if I ride with ya?" I hear Daryl behind me. I turn around to face him.

"Gotta make sure no one follows us back." He explains. I nod.

"Sure." I reply. I turn and press a quick kiss to the top of Jen's head. I smile reassuringly at Eric, and he nods. Then I head for my bike, and Daryl follows.

"They yer family?" He asks quietly. I nod.

"I'd do anythin' for those three. Anythin'." I answer honestly. He hums as we reach the bike. We remain standing next to it until everyone is in their cars, and then we climb on and start to follow the caravan.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey! I forgot to let you guys know earlier, but in this story, The Governor found Merle on the rooftop before he cut off his own hand, so Merle has both hands. Sorry if that bothers anyone! Also, a huge thank you to Vertigo Venom for the review! I'm glad you liked the first couple of chapters(:**

 **-Elizabeth**

The caravan has been on the move, following Glenn, for a couple of hours. The town Joseph and I met Glenn and Daryl in was near a city called La Grange, which I find ironic, seeing as there's a city in my home state with the same name. We've just come to a stop to let whoever needs to go to the bathroom. Daryl and I both climb off the bike, and while he heads over to talk to Glenn, I walk up to James's truck and knock on his window. He rolls it down and grins at me.

"Well hello, little lady." He drawls in a bad imitation of a Texas accent. I scoff.

"James, you're killin' me with that accent, honey." I reply. He smirks and winks at me.

"Oh ah bet ah am." He says, trying to be coy. I howl with laugher at how ridiculous he sounds, and then I straighten up and lean against his door, grinning.

"You better watch it with that accent, darlin'. You sound like a redneck, and seein' as we have one here with us, I'd be more careful with who you're imitating." I warn him, nodding toward where Daryl is standing, speaking with Glenn. James pouts.

"I was trying to sound like you." He huffs. I chuckle.

"I know you were. But I think you should stick to that northern accent of yours. If you're lookin' to impress a girl, or many girls, because I know you are, it'll work better for ya." I reply. He raises an eyebrow.

"And how would that work better?" He asks skeptically. I roll my eyes.

"Because, you little man whore, just about every guy around here has a southern accent, since they're all from here. Your accent'll be new to 'em." I explain. James grins and nods.

"Alright sweetheart, I'll keep that in mind." He agrees. I chuckle.

"You do that." I reply, before walking back to my bike.

I flip open one of the saddlebags and pull out a flashlight, and then I crouch down next to the machine and start looking her over. I check the chassis, the wheels, the fasteners, the tires, the brakes, the belt, the shaft and the chain. Then I move over and check the engine; the fuel lines, the exhaust system, I make sure there are no leaks or missing pieces. I check the wiring and the switches, and then the controls. Everything important seems to be doing well enough. I'll need to find more coolant and brake fluid, and of course gas, and I'd love to find a couple of new tires, but I won't get my hopes up. Car and truck tires are easy enough to come by these days, but I'd be lucky to find a set of motorcycle tires, let alone the correct ones for my particular bike.

"Everything okay?" I hear Glenn behind me. I stand up.

"Yep. Just makin' sure she's doin' alright." I reply, putting the flashlight back in the saddlebag and grabbing a semi clean rag. I glance up as I start wiping the grease off my hands, and I see that Daryl is standing next to Glenn.

"There a problem?" I ask curiously, and a bit wearily. Glenn shakes his head.

"No, I just wanted to make sure you weren't having trouble with your bike. Not that I could hope to fix it, but still." Glenn explains. I give him a small smile.

"Well, thank you for checkin', but she's not giving me any trouble just yet. When she does, hopefully it'll be somethin' I can fix." I reply. Glenn looks curious.

"You're good with bikes?" He asks. I shrug, giving up on getting anymore grease off my hands, and replacing the rag in my saddlebag.

"I'm decent with most engines, but I know my bikes." I answer.

"O' course ya do, Izzy. We all know ya built the damn thing from the ground up." Liam says as he walks up to us. I smirk and lean against him.

"Aw, darlin'. You still upset that I didn' have time to build yours up?" I drawl. Liam huffs and shoves me off of him, and I chuckle.

"I'm not upset. Willy boy sure is t'ough." He replies. I roll my eyes.

"Will wrecked the piece of shit he rode, I wasn' about to build him one so he could do it again." I grumble. Liam laughs, and Glenn smiles.

"So you built the whole thing?" Glenn asks, looking the bike over.

"Mhm. Took me 6 months and almost $8,000, but it was worth it." I answer. I look at Daryl.

"You ride one, don' you?" I ask. He narrows his eyes and nods once.

"How'd ya know tha'?" He asks. I smile.

"You were too at ease on it for it to have been your first or even your tenth time on a bike." I answer. He shrugs.

"What's the make and model of your bike?" I ask curiously. Daryl shrugs.

"'s a Triumph, but ah don' know th' year or model. Was my brothers." He answers, and now he and Glenn look uncomfortable. I wonder if it's because his brother is dead, or if it's something else. I nod.

"Triumph's a hell of a bike." I say, knowing the redneck wouldn't appreciate any condolences. He nods.

"Yeah." He agrees. As he, Liam and Glenn continue talking about my bike, I hear my name being called, and I turn around to see Tori hurrying our way.

"Somethin' wrong?" I ask, placing my hand on the hilt of my sword. Tori shakes her head.

"No. I'm just restless." She complains. I smirk.

"What can I do to help?" I drawl. She rolls her eyes, and then grins and glances around at our surroundings.

"Do you think we have time to spar?" She asks. I shrug and turn to Glenn.

"We gonna be halted for another 20 minutes?" I ask. He frowns and nods.

"Don't see why not." He replies. I nod and then turn to Tori.

"How do you want to do this, Tor?" I ask. She hesitates, and then turns around and heads for James's truck. She reaches into the bed to grab something, and when she turns around, I grin. She's holding two wooden staffs, both the average length of a sword. She walks back over and tosses me one of them, and when I catch it, I follow her off the road and into an empty field. I unbelt my sword and drop in on the ground nearby, so that it won't get in the way. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Liam leading Glenn and Daryl a little closer to us. Our group has seen us do this a hundred times, but Glenn and Daryl probably think we're crazy.

I turn my attention back to Tori, and grab my staff with both hands. Tori uses only one hand, as is her preference. We stand a few meters away from each other, and when Tori nods, I step forward. She does the same, and is the first to attack. She swings her staff towards my head, and I block it with my own staff, and then shove her backwards. I advance forward, thrusting my staff towards her shoulder. She swings downward to block it, but I pull my staff back and swing it at her ankles. I manage to hit one of them, and Tori huffs.

"Again." She demands. I nod, and we start again.

She attacks first again, swinging towards my chest. I slam my staff against hers, and then she shoves me back. I stumble but catch myself, and then I duck the staff coming towards my head. Right after that, she sweeps her staff towards my ankles, so I jump up to avoid it. I bring my staff down, towards her shoulder, and she sidesteps out of the way. We both swing upwards and our staffs meet between us with a dull thump. I drag my staff down hers and smack it against her hands where she's holding the wood, and she hisses and drops her staff.

"Again." She growls. I dip my head and wait for her to pick up her staff, and then again, we start.

I attack first this time, thrusting my staff down at her knees. She bats my staff away and then raises her staff to bring it downwards. I take advantage of that, and swing my staff at her exposed ribs. She manages to avoid it, and before I can step back, she tags me on the shoulder with her staff. I pout and hold up my staff.

"Again." I request.

Tori doesn't hesitate, she just darts forward and thrusts her staff at my abdomen. I block it, and we continue to spar for long minutes. This time, the match isn't over quickly. We're warmed up, and both determined not to lose again. Finally, long after the match began, I see Tori swing up and around. I meet her in the middle, and instead of sliding my staff down hers and hitting her hands, I slide my staff down hers and then flick my wrist, causing her staff to leave her hands. I catch it and dart forward, stepping behind her. I press my staff against her throat, and her staff against her abdomen. She growls, but before she can say anything, someone claps their hands together once.

"Quite a show, as always, you two. But we need to keep moving." James calls out to us. I turn towards the road and see that everyone was watching Tori and I. Some of the group are perched in the beds of the three trucks, some are sitting at the edge of the road, and some remain standing. I step away from Tori, and she turns around and narrows her eyes at me.

"This isn't over." She grumbles. I laugh and nod.

"Of course not, Tor. We'll pick this back up later." I agree. I lean down and pick up my sword from the ground, and then we walk back over to the road. I return the staffs to James's truck, and then strip off my sweatshirt, which is now soaked in sweat. The Georgia heat is in full effect at this time of day, so I drop my sweatshirt in the trunk of my Mustang, and then quickly switch my sweat soaked t shirt for a cleaner long sleeve. After pulling it on, I walk back over to my bike, where Glenn and Daryl are still standing with Liam.

"Didya get out all t'at energy, Izzy?" Liam asks with a grin. I grin back.

"Not all of it, darlin'. But I'll figure somethin' out." I reply. Liam chuckles.

"Course ya will." Liam mutters. I roll my eyes.

"We headin' out?" I ask, and Glenn nods.

"Yeah. We're pretty close, shouldn't be too long." He answers. I nod, and when he and Liam head to their vehicles, I turn to Daryl.

"Feel like drivin'?" I ask. He looks surprised.

"Serious?" He asks. I could make a Harry Potter reference, but he probably wouldn't get it, and now's not the time for jokes anyways. I dip my head.

"If you want, and if you don't mind me ridin' with you." He shakes his head.

"Ah don' mind." He replies, before climbing onto the bike. I climb on behind him and grab onto the bottom of his leather vest.

"This alright?" I ask. He grunts.

"'s fine." He replies. The caravan gets going, and again, Daryl and I take the rear. It only takes 20 or so minutes for Glenn to lead us to the place he was talking about, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't surprised to see a prison.

There's an outer perimeter fence, and an inner one, and in between the two is a path between two of the watchtowers. There's a small group of people in between the fences, and it looks like they're stabbing the closest corpses, or walkers as Glenn and Daryl called them, through the outer fence. That's pretty smart. There's a person standing on the balcony of each of the watchtowers, and they both seem to be watching the caravan through the scopes of rifles. Daryl raises his hand above his head, and up ahead, Glenn lowers his window and does the same. Glenn leads us up to a short pair of red, metal doors, and just past the fence, I can see a short boy in a funny hat pulling on a rope. The doors swing open and a thin, dark skinned women slides open the fence. Daryl follows the rest of the vehicles through, and while he does so, I continue to look around.

Now that we're closer, I can see that the two people in the towers are a man and a woman. They stay up there until all of the vehicles are parked, and then they head into the tower and come out through the bottom. The women jogs towards us and throws herself into Glenn's arms, and he catches her and gives her a kiss.

"Where did you find all of these people?" She asks. Glenn smiles.

"Daryl and I were checking out one of the smaller towns off the highway. When we went back to the truck, we found one of them trying to hotwire it, and another one keeping watch. They answered the questions, we went to their group, the rest of the group answered the questions, so here we are." He explains. I climb off the back of the bike and Daryl follows suit. I walk over to the Mustang just as Eric, Jen and Chris are climbing out. Jen looks excited, and she grins widely when she sees me.

"This is amazing! A prison, that's so smart!" She exclaims. I have my doubts, but I just smile and nod.

"Are we going to stay?" Eric asks. I shrug.

"We oughta stay for a while, meet the rest of the people here, see what it's like. We'll make our decision eventually." I reply. He nods, and then I leave them to go talk to the others. I walk up to James, Liam, William, Deucalion and Ian.

"Havin' a party, boys?" I drawl. Ian grins at me.

"It's never a party without you, sweetheart." He replies. I laugh.

"Always the smooth talker, Ian. Someone oughta put a leash on you." I tell him. He wraps an arm around my waist.

"You offering?" He murmurs. I lean against him and shake my head.

"Hell no." I reply. Ian snickers, and William grins at me.

"As if. Everyone here knows Bella isn't interested in the responsibility or baggage of a relationship." William states. I smirk at him.

"Well, that makes the six of us one and the same, doesn't it, Willy?" I ask. He rolls his eyes.

"I suppose it does. But exceptions can be made." William says distractedly, looking over at a group of women walking through the courtyard. I laugh.

"Falling int' bed wit' someone and ent'rin' int' a relationship are not tha same t'ing, Willy boy." Liam informs him. William scoffs.

"Maybe I want a relationship nowadays, you Irish mongrel. Maybe I've changed." He argues. Liam lets out a bark of laughter, and Ian mutters 'as if'. I elbow him in the ribs, and he squeezes me tighter.

"Here's hoping, Will. But seeing you in a long term relationship, that'll be the day." I say. Will grins at me.

"Likewise." He concedes.

"Alright, back to business, you fucking idiots." Deucalion tells us. Ian opens his mouth, probably to insult his brother, but I nudge him and nod to James.

"Let's see how this goes." James mutters. We all nod, and together, the six of us walk over to Glenn and the women who greeted him, as well as Daryl and another man, who also looks like a redneck.

"Everything alright?" Glenn asks. James nods.

"Fine. Just not used to seeing so many people." He answers, nodding at the courtyard, where people are coming and going. Glenn nods.

"You'll get used to it. This is my wife, Maggie, and Daryl's brother, Merle." Glenn introduces. We all exchange various greetings. I nod at the redneck, Merle, and give a small smile to the women, Maggie.

"Are you plannin' on stayin with us?" Maggie asks, and her accent makes it obvious that she grew up here in the South.

"We are, if t'at's still alright." Liam answers. Maggie and Glenn nod.

"Of course. Would you mind moving your cars over to where the rest of them are parked?" She asks, gesturing to a clearing dotted with different cars and trucks. I see a lone motorcycle, and figure that must be the one Daryl was talking about. And if this is his brother, obviously not dead, I wonder what the problem with him is. We all agree to moving our cars, and I look at Daryl.

"You have my keys, or did you leave 'em in the bike?" I ask. He pulls them out of his pocket and hands them to me.

"Thanks." I tell him. He nods. James tosses me the keys to his truck, and Ian tosses the keys to his car to Deucalion. The two of us head back over to our group, while James, Ian, Liam and William stay. I toss James's keys to Theo.

"We're moving all the vehicles to that clearing." I inform the group. Chris gets into my Mustang, Joshua climbs into his truck, Duke heads for his brothers car, and Theo heads for James's truck. I swing myself onto my bike and start her up, and them I lead the others over to the clearing. I park my bike close to the Triumph, and Chris parks the Mustang next to me. I climb off my bike and walk over to my car, running a hand over the hood of it.

"You take care of my baby?" I ask Chris. He laughs and nods.

"Of course I did." He answers, handing me the keys.

"Good. Thank you." I tell him. He nods.

"You can go back to Jen and Eric. I'm just gonna look her over." I say. Chris nods again and heads off with the others. I turn back to my Mustang and pop the hood. I start looking over the engine, and I hear footsteps in the gravel behind me, but I ignore them.

"Did ya build this one too?" Daryl asks, stopping beside me. I shake my head without looking at him.

"Nah, just the bike. I found this beauty near New Orleans, and I refused to leave her behind." I answer.

"Shit, sugar, ya made the right call." I hear someone rasp. I tilt my head for a second, and see the other redneck, Merle.

"Glad you approve." I drawl dryly. Merle laughs, and it's just as raspy as his voice. I imagine he smoked a lot, probably more than just cigarettes.

"So ya built this here beauty?" He asks, walking over to my bike and looking it over.

"I did. Heard that Triumph there was yours." I reply, reaching down and checking the belt of my Mustang.

"Oh, it still is, but Darylena and ah don't see eye ta eye about that." Merle answers.

I glance over to Daryl and see that he's glaring at his brother. I chuckle and straighten up, and I catch Merle staring at my ass. I roll my eyes, but don't call him out. I walk over to my bike and pull out the same rag I used earlier, and I scrub my hands to get at least some of the grease off. When I'm done, I replace the rag, and then start walking toward my group. I hear the Dixon brothers follow.

"So, ya th' leader of yer group, sugar?" Merle asks. I laugh and shake my head.

"Not exactly. There's more than one person in charge." I answer. He nods and then studies me.

"Yer boyfriend one of th' leaders?" He asks. I chuckle.

"Who exactly do you think is my boyfriend, Dixon?" I ask. He scoffs.

"Th' one tha had his arm 'round ya while ya'll were flirtin an' shit." He says, like it's obvious. I assume he's talking about Ian. I laugh and lean a little closer to Merle.

"I'm not datin' Ian, or any of the other guys I was 'flirtin' with. But tell me this, darlin'. If I flirt with you, does that mean we're datin'?" I drawl, and before he can answer, we arrive at the rest of the group, and James beckons me over. I turn and wink at the Dixon brothers, and then I make my way over to James.

"Having fun already, Bella?" He asks knowingly. I grin at him.

"They make it so easy." I reply. He chuckles, and then nods at Glenn.

"Okay, follow me and I'll show you where you'll be staying. I assume you want to be grouped together?" Glenn asks. We answer affirmatively, and he nods and starts walking.

We follow him into the large concrete building, and we pass by a few handfuls of people, most of whom smile at us. Eventually, we reach a part of the prison, and Glenn stops and turns to face us.

"This is cell block E. Only a couple of the cells are taken, but apart from those, you all can take your pick. There are two bunks in each cell, and we'd appreciate if you'd share cells with each other, just so there's room for others." Glenn informs us.

We agree, and after Glenn tells us that the plumbing works, and that there's extra sheets to hang in the doorways of the cells, he leave us to get settled. Everyone finds their cell mates, and the way it works out is Samantha and Deucalion in one cell, Theo and Shay in one cell, Eric and Chris in one cell, Jennifer and Natalie in one cell, William and Joshua in one cell, Ben and Joseph in one cell, and Liam and Ian in one cell. There's only myself, James, and Tori left, and before James or I can say anything, Tori walks over to stand in the doorway of one of the cells.

"I'm taking this one for myself. You two have seen each other in various states of undress for 7 years, you'll live." She states. James and I just laugh and head into our new cell.

When everyone's picked their bunks, we all head out to our cars to grab our things. When we get back inside, I drop my bags on my bunk, and then go from cell to cell, telling everyone to keep their stuff packed up for now, just in case we have to make a quick getaway. We already left some of our weapons and things that we don't use everyday in the cars, just in case. When that's done, I head back to my cell and sit down on the bottom bunk. James leans over the side of the top bunk, and grins at me.

"Been a long time since we had beds to call our own, hmm?" He asks. I grin and nod in agreement.

I might not be so sure about this place just yet, but it's definitely nice to be able to stretch out and lay down properly. And when Maggie leans her head into the cell block and tells us about the showers, it gets even better. The whole group scrambles to grab clothes and then hightail it to the showers. Some of us haven't showered since the beginning of the outbreak. We usually just wash up in rivers and lakes.

"You feel like showering together, Bella? Gotta conserve water, after all." Ian offers, walking beside me. I chuckle and grin at him.

"I don' think so. People are already under the impression that we're datin'." I inform him. He looks surprised.

"The fuck?" He asks. I shrug.

"We were bein' awfully friendly when we got here." I explain. He laughs, and Liam walks over to us with a towel slung over his shoulder.

"Sure, t'at's it. Or maybe Izzy wants to go find one a t'ose rednecks t' shower wit'." He suggests. I pout at him.

"Damn it, Liam. You've figured me out." I reply, and he chuckles.

"What is it wit' you and t'ose redneck anyways?" He snarks with a grin. I roll my eyes as we walk towards the showers.

"It must be the accent, it just does somethin' to me." I snark back. Liam and Ian laugh, and Ian nudges me.

"So they get your engine started, but I don't?" He asks. I groan at the terrible joke.

"Yeah, that's it." I reply sarcastically. I flip both of them off, and then I walk into the showers designated for women. Jennifer, Natalie and Tori are already inside, and they all greet me. I greet them back, and quickly strip off my travel worn clothes. I toss them onto the sink counter, next to my cleaner clothes, and then I step up to a showerhead and turn it on. It takes a moment, but the water starts beating down on me, and when it heats up, I sigh at the feeling.

"We haven't had accommodations as nice as this since we stayed in that base." Natalie notes. I hum in agreement as I start washing the grime and dirt out of my hair.

"The people here seem pretty friendly too. Nat and I were walking around while everyone was unloading the cars, we talked to a few different people." Jen says. I smile at her.

"Already makin' friends? I'm not surprised." I reply to her. She grins and nods, and then she looks at me strangely.

"You don't mind that I'm bunking with Nat, right?" She asks. I'm quick to shake my head.

"I don' mind at all. I expected it, anyways. You two are inseparable sometimes." I answer. Nat smirks at me.

"There's that, and the fact that she gets to bunk with _James._ " She says, and Jen giggles. I raise an eyebrow at her.

"You two are still on about James and I? It never happened. There's nothin' there." I groan. Jen pouts.

"We don't believe you." She replies. I turn to Tori and gesture wildly at the two girls. Tori chuckles.

"She's serious, girls. I can promise you, her and James never dated, or fucked regularly. I do think they fucked, at least once, but apparently there's no proof." Tori tells them. I roll my eyes, and see Shay and Samantha stepping up to the shower heads. Sam laughs loudly.

"I don't think it's James she's hung up on." She says.

"Jesus Christ, now who?" I grumble. Nat looks over at her.

"What do you mean?" She asks curiously. Sam smirks at me and then looks back at Natalie.

"Ian told Duke and I that Bella was flirting with the Dixon brothers earlier, and she admitted it." Sam divulges. I groan again and rub my hands across my face.

"I was jokin'!" I exclaim, but it's too late. The four teenagers start talking about Daryl and I on my bike together earlier, and then about Merle staring at me. Then they go on a tangent about how cute so and so is, and did you see what so and so did with so and so. Tori just laughs and listens. I roll my eyes and quickly finish my shower. When I'm done, I towel off and pull on a bra and panties, and then a pair of cutoff shorts, a dark red tank top, and a pair of grey Vans sneakers. As I'm walking past the showerheads, Nat whistles at me, and Jen catcalls.

"I haven't seen you show off your tattoos in a long time. Trying to impress a certain someone, Izzy?" Jen calls out. I scoff.

"I have bigger things to deal with than impressing strangers into my bed." I reply. Jen pouts, but before she can reply, I walk out of the showers. I head back to our cell block and drop my stuff off in my cell, and then I stand in front of the mirror in there. I towel dry and then braid my damp hair so it's out of my way. I hear a knock on the wall outside of my cell, and I turn and see Maggie. I smile at her.

"Hi. What's up?" I ask. She smiles back.

"I was just wonderin' if you could grab the other members of yer group that are in charge and bring them to the library to meet the council. It's just down the hall from the showers." She requests. I nod.

"Of course. But a few of 'em are still showerin'." I reply. She nods.

"Oh, there's no rush." She reassures me. I smile and nod.

"We'll be there as soon as everyone's done." I tell her. She nods and then walks off. I walk over to the cell next to mine and find Deucalion.

"Did you hear Maggie?" I ask. He sits up on his bunk and shakes his head.

"Gotta meet with the council. Go grab Ian, Will, Liam and James, will you?" I ask. Duke groans, but nods and stands up.

He heads to the showers to hurry the boys up, and I follow him out of the cell block, but head down a different hallway. I end up at a door, and when I pull it open, I find myself on a catwalk that looks over the courtyard and field. I step up to the fence and grab on to it, and then I just observe. I see the outdoor kitchen and all of the people eating there, and I spy Jen and Nat sitting at a table, talking to a thin, blonde girl and a gangly brunet boy with glasses. I see Sam sitting and talking to a short dark skinned woman and a tall, bulky dark skinned man. Those three never could sate their curiosity. I glance out past the fence, and see that the mob of corpses is much less than it was when we arrived. I hear the door on the other side of the catwalk open, and I turn to see Merle step onto the catwalk. He grins at me.

"Hey, sugar." He greets me. I chuckle and grin back.

"Merle." I greet him back.

"What are ya doin' out here all by yerself?" He asks.

"Just lookin'." I reply. Merle hums skeptically, and I laugh.

"What, you don' trust me?" I ask. He scoffs.

"Should ah?" He asks. I grin at him.

"I wouldn'." I answer honestly. He lets out a raspy laugh. It's a condescending, cruel sound.

"Ya think yer tough, sugar? Think ya scare anyone here? Maybe the China-man, maybe a couple of the other weasels. But the rest of us? We've seen it all, girlie. We ain't scared of ya and yer liddol group." He rasps. I roll my eyes, but don't turn away from Merle. Anyone else, I'd probably have turned back to the fields and spoken to them like that. But this man is dangerous. I knew that the second I saw him up close, standing next to his brother.

"You think you're the only people who've 'seen it all'? You think that just because you've had to deal with some terrible things, that no one else has? Get over yourself, darlin'. My group isn' a threat to you or yours, because you aren' a threat to us. But if you become one? Well, I bet you're a man who sleeps with one eye open. But you don' scare us. And supposedly, we're tryin' to live together in peace." I reply. Merle smirks at me.

"Ah don't scare any of ya liddol teenagers? Maybe ah'll try ta, bet that would be buckets of fun." He drawls. I smile at the man.

"You go right ahead and try. Please, I'd love to see it. And while you're busy doin' that, I do believe Daryl's already begun to trust me. I'm sure your council will want to see what my group's capable of. I'll be the first to volunteer to go huntin'. Bet your baby brother'll tag along, see if I'm any good. Now that sounds like buckets of fun to me. Don' you think?" I ask. Before Merle can answer, I make a show of glancing at the watch on my wrist. "Well, would you look at that. I have a meeting to get to. With your baby brother. You'll have to excuse me." I tell him, before brushing past him and walking back into the prison. I don't relax until I'm well away from the man.

I find Duke and the other boys in our cell block, and James looks relieved.

"There you are. Let's go." He says, leading the way into the hallway. William links his arm with mine and pulls me so there's a bit of distance between us and the rest of the group.

"Everything alright?" He asks. I nod.

"Fine. Why?" I ask. Will raises an eyebrow at me.

"I served with you for 7 years, Bella. I've gotten pretty good at knowing when you want to shoot someone." He explains. I laugh and shrug, and Will nudges me.

"Something we should be worried about?" He asks. I roll my eyes.

"I'm not going to shoot a member of the group that just took us in, Will." I scoff. Will nods.

"I know you wouldn't shoot anyone unless they deserved it, or they were a threat. My question is, does Dixon deserve it? Is he a threat?" He asks. I tense up and turn my head to look at Will, shocked.

"Dixon?" I ask, wondering how he knows. Will smiles coldly.

"I saw the way he was looking at you outside. Figured it was only a matter of time before he pushed his luck." Will answers. I nod.

"What did he do?" Will questions heatedly. I tighten my grip on his arm.

"Nothin', Will. We just had a nice little chat, that's all. You know I can take care of myself." I remind him. He chuckles.

"Bella, you take care of this entire group. I know you can handle anything thrown at you. But Dixon is different. He seems ruthless, and more than a little dangerous. With or without meaning to, I'm sure you provoked him. Just, keep your eyes open, Bella." Will advises me. I roll my eyes, but realize that he's right. I've never dealt with the likes of Merle Dixon.

I clear my head as I follow William into the library. We come to a stop in front of a table, and on the other side of it, there are 5 people seated. I recognize Glenn and Daryl, but the other three are a mystery. The oldest member at the table, a man with white hair and a white beard, gestures to the chairs on our side of the table with a friendly smile.

"Please, sit." He requests. We all do, and from left to right, it's William on one end, Ian, myself, James, Liam and then Deucalion on the other end.

"My name is Hershel Greene. I'm the head of this council. I think we should say a bit about ourselves, just to warm up to each other." He suggests. We all agree, and he nods. "Well, before all this, I was a farmer and a veterinarian. My two daughters are here at the prison with me, I believe you've met Maggie." He begins. He gestures to the woman with short hair next to him, and she gives a short smile.

"My name is Carol Marcus. Before this, I had a daughter, and I was just a housewife." She states. I assume she lost her daughter, but the women seems hardened, so I swallow my sympathy. Next to her, Daryl grunts.

"Y'already know ma name's Daryl Dixon. Here with my brother Merle. 'Fore this I was a hunter." He says gruffly. No surprise there, not with that crossbow of his. Next to him is the short, dark skinned women that I saw Sam talking to earlier.

"I'm Sasha Williams. My brother is here too. Before this, I was a firefighter." She tells us. Hmm. Interesting. Beside her, Glenn smiles at us.

"Well, you already know I'm Glenn, Glenn Rhee. I'm not here with any family by blood, but I'm married to Maggie, Hershel's daughter. Before this, I delivered pizzas." He says with a smile. We smile back, and then James straightens up.

"The six of us share the responsibility of our group, but generally, Bella and I are in charge. My name is James Courtney. I don't have any family left. Before this, I was a Staff Sergeant in the US Army." James begins. When he's finished, I smile quickly.

"My name's Isabella Stark. My brother and two cousins are here with me. Before this, I was a Staff Sergeant in the US Army." I recite. Next, Ian grins.

"I'm Ian Hale. I'm here with my brother Duke. Before this, I was a writer." Ian rattles off.

"Name's William Moore. No family. Used to be a Sergeant in the Army." William says.

"My name's Liam Kearney. I don't have any family, and before t'is, I was a Sergeant in the Army as well." Liam drawls.

"My name is Deucalion Hale, My family is Ian and my girlfriend, Samantha. Before this, I was a professor." Deucalion finishes. Hershel smiles and nods.

"Thank you. Now, might I ask how many people are in your group?" He asks.

"17 people. 6 women and 11 men." James answers. Hershel nods.

"Any children?" Carol asks.

"Six teenagers. The rest of the majority of us are in our 20's, with the exception of Ian and Deucalion." I answer, gritting my teeth as I remember Merle threatening them. Duke laughs

"Way to make us feel old, Bella." He jokes. I grin.

"You _are_ old, honey." I inform him. He narrows his eyes at me. Hershel chuckles, and Glenn and Sasha smile.

"Your weapons are your own, but we'd like to know what you carry, and who's good with what." Carol requests.

"That's fair. Our whole group is decent with pistols and rifles, and they each carry at least one firearm and one knife. I'm good with a stake. Ian prefers a machete. You oughta see Isabella with a sword. James is the best at hand to hand, and against corpses he usually uses his knives. Liam is a brawler, and he's a damn good shot with any gun you give him. Deucalion likes his staff with blades on either end. We have a couple of other soldiers in our group, one of them is good with throwing knives, and the other is good with a bow. We also have a pair of twins who're good fighters, and decent shots." William answers. Carol leans back in her seat and nods.

"Are any of you injured?" Glenn asks.

"Or bit?" Daryl adds, leaning forward.

"William has a knife wound on 'is side, Isabella has an old bullet wound on 'er collarbone, and one of our group, Ben, has a cut from a fall on 'is leg. T'at's it. None of us are bit. 'f anyone was, t'ey'd've been dealt with." Liam answers.

"Dealt with?" Carol echoes. Liam shrugs.

"Our whole group knows t'at if t'ey get bit, t'ey'll die anyways. We've all agreed t' take care of each ot'er, should t'at happen." He explains. Carol nods.

"Alright. Well, here at the prison, we have a couple of gardens, a kitchen outside, a pig pen and horse stable, and lots of work to be done." Hershel says. I nod.

"We're more than willin' to pull our own weight around here. Just tell us what needs doin'." I reply. He nods.

"We have teams that work down at the fences, taking down walkers. We could use help in the gardens, in the electric shed, in keeping all of our vehicles up and running, and so on." Glenn explains. James nods.

"Our whole group can take shifts on the fence, and in the gardens. We have a handful of members who are good with engines and the like, so they'll help in the shed and with the cars. Some of us are willing to go on runs for the prison, and when you feel we've earned your trust, you can assign us to the watch if you like." James tells the council. Hershel leans back and smiles.

"Well now, welcome to the prison." He tells us. We smile and thank him, and then we're dismissed.


End file.
